Good morning. It's Friday, Oct. 2, and the virus has reached the White House while New York City completed the first stage of reopening its schools. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.

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NEED TO KNOW

Trump Tests Positive

Breaking news: President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus. The news comes after aide Hope Hicks was said to have tested positive earlier in the day. It's unclear at what point Trump was infected; he said he and Melania were feeling well and would begin self-quarantine. It remains to be seen how the positive diagnosis will affect upcoming events, including presidential debates.

Tomorrow marks one month to go until the 2020 election Nov. 3. Voter registration is still open in some states—check yours here.

Following a tumultuous first engagement—disorderly to the point that officials may allow mics to be cut in future meetings—Americans will see three more debates in three weeks. Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) meet Wednesday in Utah (9pm ET, major networks), moderated by USA Today's Susan Page. President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will meet Oct. 15 and 22. See all details here.

Biden currently maintains a sizable lead in national polls, but a more narrow advantage in the electoral college. See which states are still up for grabs (PDF), and play around with an electoral college outcome calculator here.

There are 35 Senate seats up for election—23 currently held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. Of the 23 Republican seats, seven races are rated as either toss-ups (5) or lean Democrat (2). None of the Democrat-held seats are considered toss-ups and just one leans Republican—Doug Jones (D) of Alabama. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, with Vice President Mike Pence as a tiebreaker. See a full breakdown of seats here (PDF).

All members of the House are up for reelection every two years. Democrats currently have a 232-199 advantage and are currently forecast to retain their majority, with 24 toss-up seats available. 

All races—White House, Senate, and House—are still fluid, with four weeks of campaigning left in what has been an unpredictable year.

NYC Reopens Schools

New York City completed the first phase of reopening its schools for in-person classes yesterday, with teachers welcoming back hundreds of thousands of middle and high school students for the first time since March. The bulk of elementary school students began returning Tuesday, though almost 500,000 of the district's 1.1 million students have opted to go fully remote. Even in-person instruction is on a blended schedule—most students will be in the classroom between one and three days a week.

Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced yesterday a plan to test 10%-20% of every school's population once a month. The nation's largest school district, a return to school represents a significant test for the city. A number of neighborhood hotspots have seen test positivity rates rise above 6%. 

Tracking whether school reopenings are leading to a coronavirus surge is tricky due to disparate data sets. Check out the most comprehensive nationwide dashboard available here.

The US has reported 7.27 million total cases, with 207,808 deaths, as of this morning. See rolling averages here and here.

Taylor Transcripts 

Transcripts from the grand jury proceedings over whether to charge police officers in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor are expected to be made public today. Though such information is typically held private, an unidentified member of the panel sued to have the transcripts released, accusing Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron of implying the grand jury declined to recommend homicide charges. Cameron later clarified he never asked the jury to consider such charges, concluding state law did not support the case.

One officer was charged with wanton endangerment—not linked to Taylor's death, but for firing into a neighbor's apartment. Cameron has argued the use of force was justified (watch full statement), but others have questioned whether such protections cover reckless endangerment.

Sort of know what grand juries are, but sort of don't? Read this.

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DOMO ARIGATO, MR. FLIPPY

Robots and AI can do the darnedest things these days. Driving without supervision, performing surgery, creating art (though admittedly not masterpieces), and now ... flipping burgers?!

Miso Robotics brings us Flippy, the world's first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant. Flippy helps quick service restaurants—like CaliBurger—increase profit margins roughly 300% by increasing speed and consistency while freeing up ground space in packed kitchens. But we aren't just trying to persuade you to buy a Flippy for your home kitchen. No, because today you can invest directly in Miso Robotics through an innovative platform, to yield big potential returns.

With 12 patents pending, more than 60,000 pounds (and counting) of food cooked, and big partnerships with CaliBurger, the LA Dodgers, and others—Miso Robotics and Flippy have plenty of potential to grow and grow big. Check out their investment offering today.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Magic Spoon

> Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers advance to Division Series of MLB playoffs which begin Monday (More)

> Support pours in for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend after couple reveals they lost baby to miscarriage when Teigen was hospitalized with pregnancy complications (More)

> NBA Finals Game 1 ratings down 45% from 2019’s Game 1; the 7.4 million viewers are lowest on record for a Finals game (More) | Miami Heat will look to even up series in Game 2 tonight (9pm ET, ABC) (More)

Just like a delicious, cereal-shaped protein shake. Magic Spoon makes breakfast cereal for those of us who don't want to sacrifice on health. High protein, low carb, zero sugar, gluten-free, natural flavors, the list goes on—it tastes like your childhood cereal, but feels like a superfood. Check it out today—yum! #Ad

Science & Technology

> Startup IonQ claims to have built the most powerful working quantum computer to date; the company says strong, stable connections between qubits yields a theoretical quantum volume of 4 million (More) | How trapped ion quantum computing works (More)

> Algorithm maps out chemical pathways that may have led to the basic molecular building blocks of life using just six simple precursors (More)

> Scientists uncover a previously unknown role of microglia—the brain's immune cells—in suppressing neural activity, which helps the brain efficiently process information (More)

Business & Markets

> Initial unemployment claims stay high at 837,000 filed during the previous week (More) | September jobs report due out this morning, expected to show hiring slowdown (More)

> Google to pay $1B to news publishers via licensing fees to carry content in Google News Showcase (More)

> Playboy to return to the public markets, to merge with SPAC in deal valued at approximately $400M (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Senate Commerce Committee to subpoena Alphabet (Google), Facebook, and Twitter CEOs for hearing on Communications Decency Act, which protects web properties from being liable for content posted on sites (More)

> President Trump proposes limiting refugee admittance to 15,000 next year, a historic low; State Department says drop would be supplemented by overseas aid (More) | Judge blocks restrictions on H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers (More)

> China's Golden Week celebrations begin, with more than 500 million expected to travel during the week; marks the first major holiday since the country contained its coronavirus outbreak (More)

IN-DEPTH

How the SAT Failed America

Forbes | Susan Adams. Having acted as the gatekeeper to America's universities for more than five decades, the pandemic has exposed deep problems at the College Board—and it may not survive. (Read)

The Vampire Ship

The New Republic | Owen Freeman. How the seizure of more than half a ton of heroin in Greece triggered violent aftershocks across Europe, with the bloody fallout continuing to this day. (Read)

It's OK to Fall Apart

Players' Tribune | Kayla McBride. The star WNBA player opens up about her long-running battle with depression and anxiety, which spiraled during the quarantine. (Read)

A TALENTED LITTLE ROBOT

In partnership with Miso Robotics

Flippy the robotic kitchen assistant isn't some novice in the kitchen. From grill to fryer, it's able to cook perfectly and consistently, work collaboratively with staff (human or robot), switch tools autonomously, and can be installed easily in any commercial kitchen.

With a résumé like that, we're excited about all the possible growth a direct investment in Miso Robotics could yield. Check out all the details on this investment opportunity here!

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ETCETERA—BEST OF SEPTEMBER 2020

Editor's note: More than 1 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in September. Enjoy!

(9/28) The year 2020 now has its very own emoji.

(9/15) Twenty then-and-now photos showing how much the world has changed.

(9/29) Stunning winners of the 2020 Drone Photography Awards.

(9/14) How smart people embrace awkward silence.

(9/8) The best memes of 2020 (so far).

(9/25) Secret man cave discovered under NYC's Grand Central platform.

(9/3) Explore each state's best road trips.

(9/17) Underwater cameras capture the weirdness of flamingos.

(9/16) America's best and worst cities to drive in.

(9/9) Get your palms sweaty with these pics of the world's longest glass-bottom bridge.

(9/2) Science says being a jerk doesn't pay off.

(9/16) A humpback whale takes a wrong turn into crocodile alley.

(9/3) Stunning up-close photos of animal eyes.

(9/14) Watch Brazil's Maya Gabeira surf a mind-boggling 73-foot wave.

(9/9) Take a look at the companies that help people vanish.

(9/3) Clickbait: Scientists capture a skinless shark.

Historybook: Mahatma Gandhi born (1869); HBD fashion designer Donna Karan (1948); Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first Black Supreme Court justice (1967); Rock Hudson is first major US celebrity to die from AIDS-related complications (1985); RIP Tom Petty (2017).

"A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes."

- Mahatma Gandhi

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